My name is Jon DiLorenzo and this is my 23rd year in education. I am very pleased to be teaching 3rd/4th graders at Saint Mary's Visitation School. I have over 15 years of experience in working with these two particular grades and I am excited to be working with my students.
I graduated from Grand Valley State University in 2000 with a Bachelor of Arts in English/Language Arts with Elementary Distributed Minor. Before SMV, I taught 3 years of 4th/5th grade at Black River School in Holland. I have taught at various schools throughout Grand Rapids. I am a few classes shy from my master’s degree which is Educational Differentiation. I am very excited and eager to work with not only my students, but fellow teachers and parents as well. There is so much to be learned from one another!
In my free time, I enjoy spending time with my wife, Jessica, my son, Carson, and our seven year old Boston Terrier, Lola. Jessica is a Lead Clinical Applications Consultant for the Midwest for Phillips. Carson is a senior at Aquinas College majoring in Biology. I love playing and watching all kinds of sports. I enjoy watching baseball and football. I also enjoy hiking. I am a huge fan of food, not only eating it, but cooking it as well. I am also a huge fan of reading. I really love a good book that I can get lost in.
I am very excited to start my fifth year here at Saint Mary's Visitation School and can’t wait to see what the future has in store!
Rules:
1. Follow directions the first time given.
2. Keep hands, feet and objects to yourself.
3. No bullying or put-downs.
4. Listen when somebody is talking.
5. Use your own materials unless you get permission.
Consequences:
1. Verbal warning
2. Check
3. Behavior rubric write up and email home
4. Office visit/phone call home
At St. Mary’s Visitation Catholic School we are disciples; striving for personal and academic excellence, making Mary our model, as we voyage the path of Jesus.
Monday:
Art: 8:40 - 9:30
Strings: 10:45 - 11:30
Tuesday:
Physical Education: 8:30 - 9:00
Music 10:00 - 10:30
Strings: 10:45 - 11:30
Computers: 2:15 - 2:45
Wednesday:
Mass: 8:00 - 9:15
Reading Buddies: 2:15 - 2:45
Thursday:
Music: 10:00 - 10:30
Library: 1:00 - 1:30
Friday:
Physical Education: 8:30 - 9:00
Atrium: 1:15 - 2:00
September - October 6th
October - November 3rd
November - December 1st
December - January 5th
January - February 2nd
February - March 1st
March - April 12th
April - May 3rd
May - May 31st**
**All Bingo sheets will be due on or before the first Friday of the following month, with the exceptions of May, which will be due on Friday, May 31st.
*The March Book Report/Project will be due on Monday, April 15, 2024*
**The April/May Book Report/Project will be due on Friday, May 17, 2024**
Parents,
Our March Reading Month is upon us. We have many fun things planned. Please refer to the March is Reading Month calendar for specific dress days and other important dates. Students should have brought home a Reading Bingo sheet. One will come home each week for the month of March. Students are not required to participate, but strongly encouraged to fill out the bingo sheet each week for a chance to win a brand new book! Bingo sheets will be due by Friday morning and winners will be announced each Friday or Thursday afternoon if we do not have school on a Friday.
Wednesday, March 20th, is Morning Muffins at 7:15 a.m.
On Monday, March 18th, students may wear green for St. Patrick's Day with non uniform bottoms. Thursday, March 21st, students may dress as their favorite book character.
I have posted some pictures on my web page from our visit with Father Adams and Ms. Cassie. Please be sure to check them out!
No school on Friday, March 22nd, due to staff professional development!
Classroom News:
We will be attending Mass at 9:00 a.m. at St. Stans for the Feast of St. Joseph on Tuesday, and 8:00 a.m. at SMV on Wednesday, March 20th. Please feel free to join us in celebrating the Eucharist!
Jackson is our next Star Student from April 8th to May 3rd. Please have pictures and the question sheet filled out by Monday, March 8th.
I went over the March Practical/Spiritual Life Bingo assignment this week. Students have the month of March to complete the bingo form. All students must complete both shaded boxes. 3rd graders must do 4 additional unshaded boxes and 4th graders must do 5 additional unshaded boxes. Students are certainly welcome to complete more boxes if they wish! A copy of the March bingo sheet was sent home on Friday and is attached in my documents section of my web page. The March bingo sheet is due on or before Friday, April 12th.
I went over the March book project with students. Students will need to read a mystery book for the month of March. Students should have a mystery book selected! Students will read a mystery book and then create a 9 piece mystery puzzle. The details on this book project and how to create the puzzle was sent home on Friday, or it can be found in the documents section on my web page. Because of spring break, the March book project
What We Are Learning:
Mathematics:
3rd Grade: Chapter 12: Understand Time, Liguid Volume, and Mass
4th Grade: Chapter 11: Understand Measurement Equivalence
ELA:
Unit 4 - The Ancient Roman Civilization
Spelling:
We will not have spelling tests the next two weeks due to the shortened weeks!
List 20 words can be found in your child's planner on Monday, April 15th, or on my web page near the bottom.
List 20 Spelling Test will take place on Friday, April 19th.
Science:
Unit 3: Weather and Climate
Lesson 4: How are Rain and Snow Measured?
Social Studies:
Issue 10: Michigan History for Kids: On the Road
Religion:
Chapter 23: The Bread of Life
Mass
Please have questions answered and pictures (no more than 10 please) sent in by the Friday before your child’s scheduled star student date. Please send in pictures that you don’t mind me putting a pin through to attach to the bulletin board. Thank you!
Clare - October 2nd - October 20th
Gunar - October 23rd - November 10th
Meri - November 13th - December 15th
Ryder - December 18th - January 19th
Jacob - January 22nd - February 9th
Joseph - February 12th - March 1st
Oliver - March 4th - March 29th
Jackson - April 8th - May 3rd
Jack - May 6th - May 31st
I am asking that students read for 20 minutes nightly, Monday through Friday, unless they have school work to complete. I would also like them to get their planner signed nightly please. I would also like the students to get into the habit of asking you to sign the planner, not you asking to sign their planner. I know this may take some getting use to, so if you need to ask for the planner until they get into the habit of remembering, then that is perfectly fine. Thank you!
Work that is not completed in the classroom will be sent home as homework. Students should not have more than 30 minutes of homework on any given night. If a student has homework, then they are not required to read for the 20 minutes.
Students will have monthly homework in the forms of Practical/Spiritual Life Bingo and Book Reports.
If you are looking for additional work, I would suggest giving your child a practice spelling test each Thursday night that we have spelling. Studying basic math facts, addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, using flash cards or computer games/programs is another idea. Knowing these basic math facts will greatly improve your child's math skills! Studying states and capitals is another idea.
1. subway
2. payment
3. awaited
4. ballplayers
5. yesterday
6. crayons
7. explain
8. mermaid
9. great
10. daydreams
Challenge
1. family
2. young
1. money
2. enemy
3. centipede
4. experience
5. believe
6. secret
7. increase
8. chimney
9. tedious
10. succeeded
Challenge
1. almost
2. really
1. fancy
2. degree
3. athlete
4. chief
5. grease
6. scenic
7. chariot
8. stadium
9. electricity
10. ski
Challenge
1. source
2. vacuum